Clinical facilitators "feel disempowered" following violence

Two studies led by Flinders University’s Caring Futures Institute researcher Dr Hila Dafny suggest that increasing incidences of violence are leading to long-term consequences for students, their supervisors and the profession. Informing both studies — published in Journal of Professional Nursing and Nursing Open — were interviews with clinical facilitators about their experiences and those of the students they supervised. These interviews revealed that workplace violence was leaving both students and their supervisors questioning their career choices — the researchers calling for systemic change and a need for a collaborative approach between universities and healthcare institutions in order to combat workplace violence.

“Workplace violence, which can include verbal abuse, physical aggression, and intimidation from patients and other staff, is a growing concern in health care, with nursing students particularly vulnerable,” Dafny said. “Our findings, drawn from interviews with clinical facilitators in South Australia — those that train and supervise nursing students — reveals witnessing or experiencing this violence has an ongoing impact on nursing students’ mental health, career prospects and overall wellbeing.”

Dafny said the psychological toll on students is significant, with many reporting symptoms of anxiety, burnout and distress following incidents, with some cases escalating to post-traumatic stress disorder, while clinical facilitators reported feeling they were powerless to help. Despite being the first point of contact for students after incidents of workplace violence, the research found that many facilitators feel disempowered to take effective action, with their limited authority and inconsistent role definitions often leaving them unable to protect students or address systemic issues effectively.

“We need to shift the framing that workplace violence is an inevitability of working in the health profession,” Dafny said. “It’s time to prioritise the safety and mental health of nursing students and their facilitators. This includes clear anti-violence policies, comprehensive training and a cultural shift that no longer normalises violence in the workplace.” Dafny is calling for enhanced training programs to prepare both students and facilitators to recognise, report and address the incidents effectively, while also stating that universities and clinical institutions must work together to establish robust support systems, including accessible reporting mechanisms and counselling services.

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The Nursing Open study — ‘“I feel disempowered because I could not do anything”: clinical facilitators’ perception of violence towards nursing students during clinical placement’ — is open access and you can read it at doi.org/10.1002/nop2.70125.

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If you are affected by any of the issues discussed in this article, help is available. Lifeline has a 24/7 crisis support service, please call 13 11 14.

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